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April 05, 2006

IOGEAR Simplifies VoIP

By Cindy Waxer
TMCnet Contributing Editor


Hoping to bring VoIP to the masses, California-based IOGEAR is turning desktops and laptops into VoIP phone systems for small and home office users (SOHO) with the introduction of its USB VoIP Skype (News - Alert) Calling Kit.

The kit creates a landline telephone environment for VoIP users, featuring a dial pad, microphone, headset and two audio ports. The dial pad plugs into any USB port, providing greater convenience and accessibility to those functions that are generally limited to telephones, including the mute button and volume control.

The product's audio ports enable audio switching, allowing users to direct the sound that is coming from the computer to either the headphones or external speakers, creating a conference call environment. The compact size of the device reduces office clutter. The added USB 2.0 hub functionality features six USB ports, connecting up to six peripherals and enabling file transfers at record speeds up to 480 Megabits per second.

“An increasing number of SOHO users are switching from traditional landlines to Internet-based phone services,” said Miranda Su, vice president of sales and marketing at IOGEAR, Inc. “Our USB Skype VoIP Calling Kit is reaching a broader audience, enabling 40 million Skype members to make free calls to other Skype customers, such as friends, family and coworkers around the world.”

The product is priced at $69.95 and comes with IOGEAR's standard three-year warranty.

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Cindy Waxer is a Toronto-based freelance journalist specializing in business and technology. She has written for publications including TIME, Fortune Small Business, Business 2.0, Computerworld, Canadian Business, and Workforce Management. To see more of her articles, please visit Cindy Waxer’s columnist page.